Made of Iron
by Kuruk
Summary: Gray and Mary have been best friends for years, but when she gets engaged and asks Gray to be her maid of honor, he learns he's in love with her. Now he just needs to show her he's the right one for her while being her maid of honor... simple, right?


_Hello. It's Kuruk. And even though it's UBER irresponsible I could not resist in posting this long-fic. . Scarlet and Eko, you may cyber slap me xD_

_Well, this fic is based off of _**Made of Honor**_, that new film with Patrick Dempsey (MCDREAMY!! xD). So I own less of it. Lol. Well, it just popped into my head and I couldn't resist ._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or Made of Honor. BUMMER :(**

_This fic is dedicated to my partners-in-crime_** Ekoaleko** _and_ **The Scarlet Sky. **_Eko, Scarlet, you guys rule. Hope you enjoy this :D_

_Hope you all enjoy this :)_

* * *

_**Made of Iron**_

**Prologue- Disastrous Prelude**

The party was in full swing, alright.

He'd never really been to a college party before, but Kai had insisted that he come, so he'd obliged, albeit grudgingly. Seriously, what was the good thing about a college party? Definitely not the keg of alcohol, or the consequently drunk people with flimsy self control. Not the lousy music or the dancing.

It was a waste of time.

Especially since this particular party was a Halloween party, and therefore he'd been forced to dress up... as a vampire...

Kai, who had dressed up as 'Casanova', had scoffed at his choice of costume, suggesting instead that he dress up as... Cupid or something. His reasoning for this was very simple – he got to be half naked and display himself for all the drunk-out-of-their-minds girls to ogle at...

Which, admittedly, was also the reason why he'd chosen to dress up as a dangerous bloodsucker.

Sighing, he maneuvered his way (somehow) through the drunken, dancing masses and managed to get to the couch, sighing as he sat down an crossed his arms over his chest, very, very angry with the fact that Kai had managed to pry him away from working on his latest pet project for _this._

The music changed to horrible song that he hates, and, groaning as if in agony, he stormed off and up the stairs, almost colliding with a couple that's practically glued to one another. "Watch where you're going, man," the guy huffed.

"Yeah, well, get a room," he muttered venomously as he maneuvered his way around the couple and pulled the door open to a vacant bedroom.

Sighing in relief, he sat down on the bed and rubbed his temples in circular motions, hoping to the Goddess that he'd somehow find the patience to make it through the night...

"Or better yet," he mused aloud, reclining a bit backwards, "Why not just leave now?"

That's when he felt something on the bed move. Surprised, he fell back and hit something, well, _alive._

His scream of shock left his mouth and not a second later a second scream of shock, this one high pitched and female.

He was off the bed in an instant, mind racing, when the figure on the bed suddenly whirled around and pointed something directly at his eyes, and, still screaming that high pitched female scream of terror, sprayed.

The instant the spray hit his eyes he let out of scream of agony and lost his footing, blindly falling back to the floor, where the plush carpet at least cushioned his fall... not that it made much of a difference to the agony that had been his _eyes._

He screamed again, covering his eyes. "_What the hell, man!? What the hell!?"_

The owner of the high pitched female voice _spoke_ this time. "Y-y-you b-b-better n-not move.. R-rapist!"

His mind, already screaming at the _pain, pain, PAIN,_ took a few seconds to process his attacker's accusation. "W-wait!" he screamed, "I'm not here to... to..." if he had not been in _agony_ now would be the time he'd be white with mortification, "I just thought this room was _empty_! No one sleeps during a _party!_"

The voice does not respond for a few moments, almost as if considering what he said. "W-well... I have my Literature F-Final t-t-tomorrow... A-and I d-d-don't r-really l-like p-parties..." if this were a movie he would be laughing his head off at the mood swing this girl just went through... unfortunately, her being calm now did not make him feel better.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed between him and the girl he could not see because of his _eyes_. "What was that?" he demanded as he blindly tried to get to his feet, "Pepper spray?"

The girl cleared her throat uncomfortably, shyly. "N-no... it's Chanel Number 5," she sprayed again, this time a little towards the air around his nose so that he could smell for himself. Yes, it did smell like woman, "My favorite..."

He grunted as he finally got to his feet, the pain still too much. "O-oh my..." the girl said, sounding mortified, "L-let me help you!"

A shuffling of feet in his direction and he tensed up, arms stretched in front of himself defensively. "N-no! You've done enough damage tonight!"

"D-don't be crazy," the girl said, hand taking hold of his arm somewhere from his side, making him embarrassed that he'd been defensive in the _wrong direction,_ "You can't see... You'll f-fall down the s-s-stairs or something..."

"Yeah," he snorted, angry, "And whose fault would that be?"

The girl flinched. Expecting a submissive little sigh or something, he smiled in victory. Instead, the girl's voice was indignant. "W-well...! Who waltzes into a girl's dorm while she's sleeping and doesn't expect to be thought of as a rapist!?"

Shocked by her tone, he subconsciously allows her to lead him out of the room and into the noisy wall, where she carefully leads him to a quieter place and gently pushes him down over something. "What-," he starts just as the sound of running water reaches his ears.

"I-it's a sink," she states, "Wash your eyes o-out... it'll help."

Doing as he was told, he began to wash his eyes out, glad for the relief it began to bring him. Sounds came from somewhere to his right, and he peeked through his swollen lids, barely making out a black and white blur doing _something._

"Oh _Goddess_," he gasped, "_I've color blind..._

There was a crashing sound from where the girl was. "W-what...?"

"I can only see _black and white!_" he exclaimed, feeling his heart start to beat frantically, "That perfume ruined my eyes!"

He curses darkly and wildly and it takes her a few moments to respond. "W-what were you looking at...?"

He wheeled on her, eyes still shut. "Huh?"

"What were you looking at?" she repeated, trying very hard not to stutter like she usually did.

"Y-you..."

She sighed in what seemed like relief. "That makes sense," she muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" he repeated again, just as dumbly.

"I-I'm wearing a w-white n-n-nightgown a-and my h-hair i-is b-b-black..." she explained, failing at controlling her stutter.

His mouth gaped dumbly. "Oh," was all he said.

They stayed like that for a few seconds until a high pitched, shrill whistle filled the air and the girl gasped. "Oh my," she said.

"What was that?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"I-I'm m-making t-tea..." she explained, "Y-you can open your eyes... go ahead."

He grumbled and obeyed. They still stung, but he was gladdened to see that he wasn't color blind, at least.

"Are you a-alright?" the girl asked, voice full of concern.

He turned his swollen eyes on her and looked at his attacker for the first time. She was about his height or a few inches shorter than him. Her hair, midnight black, traveled down to her waist in a simple plait. Her face, pale and shadowed with concern and shame, housed two very dark greenish orbs, further obscured by a thick pair of glasses she wore. Her white nightgown was baggy and not see-thru like some girls' he'd seen in similar conditions.

He scowled at her. "Yes," he said gruffly.

She blushed at his voice and at his blue-eyed stare, even though it was accusing, and led him to the couch shyly, where she handed him a cup of tea. "Thanks," he said, not really at all grateful for the offering after, well, she _attacked his eyes!_

The black-haired girl sat down the farthest possible from him and put her own cup of tea to her lips, only to cry out in pain. "Ow!" she exclaimed, "Hot...!"

He grinned at her pain, which really wasn't nice... but he had to, well, because he's caused him pain, and well... he didn't know why he had to explain himself!

"You know," he said, still hostile, "I'm working on this sugar for coffee and tea and stuff that lowers the temperature of the drink to a certain temperature so that what just happened to you won't actually happen to anyone else."

The girl blinked at him from behind her glasses, taken aback. "O-oh..." she said, "C-clever..." she mused aloud, "B-but... some people do like it t-this h-h-hot... s-s-so... using that sugar w-would be b-bad for them..."

He blinked in shock at her statement. Why hadn't he noticed that sooner!? Because maybe his roommates were too preoccupied ogling girls and going to parties that they had time to _think_ like _normal people_?

At the look on his face, which looked akin to a furious grizzly bear, she let out a frightened little cry. "Y-you're face looks h-horrible when y-you do that!" she exclaimed before clapping her hand over her mouth.

He was angry at _her_ now. "Oh yeah? Well, enlighten me."

She looked taken aback for a few seconds, but the same fiery tone of voice she'd taken with him back at her dorm returned. "I'm taking art as a minor... and the proportions of your face scrunch up when you do that... you look very ugly... by artistic standards, of course..."

He blinked, taken aback by her knowledge. Then, quite suddenly, he began to laugh. "No one has ever told me that before," he offered as means of explanation between frantic inhales, they themselves between hysterical laughing.

Despite the stares they were getting, the girl smiled a bit shyly back before sobering. "It's called a friend."

"Huh?" he asked, snorting a bit as his laughter faded.

"It's called being a friend," she said, a smirk on her face, "And it seems that you don't have any..."

His face contorted into a scowl. "Of course I have friends. My friend Kai... well, he's probably back at the dorms with a... _friend._ My... err... friend, Jamie... is probably sleeping right now. Um... my other friend... uh... Cliff, he's on a date with his girlfriend Claire, tonight..."

The girl laughed. "And none of them tell you what your face looks like when you get angry?"

His face screwed up in thought. "Um... no."

The girl laughed again, sobering as she brought her teacup to her lips again. "Well... I _do_ have a final tomorrow..."

He sighed. "Yes, and I _do _want to get out of this place..."

She got up and smiled coyly at him, conveying that same apologetic look. "It was...nice to meet you."

He laughed. "Can't say the same."

She rolled her eyes and began to make her way up the stairs. "My name's Gray, by the way," he said casually, only then remembering that he had never given her his name.

She stopped, looked down at him, her eyes shining. "A-and... mine is Mary," she told him. And with a smile she was gone up the steps.

Gray sighed and shook his head. Well, who the heck knew what could happen? Get pepper-sprayed, well, really Chanel Number 5-sprayed by a girl you walked in on while she slept who thought you were a rapist then ending up wanting to be friends with her... yes, life was screwed up.

When Gray got back home he was not surprised to find Kai, looking very proud of himself, sitting on the couch, watching late night TV.

Kai smiled at Gray as he entered mischievously. "Well, Gray's late. What does _that_ mean? Did someone get lucky tonight?"

Gray stared at Kai angrily. "I suppose, but not in the way you'd think... and I can't say the same about you," Kai looked up, startled. Gray kicked him hard in the stomach, smirking as Kai doubled over and wheezed for breath, "_That's_ for making me go to that _stupid_ party. Good night, Kai."

And with that Gray retired to his room, feeling happy at his kicking of Kai, leaving the latter in agony on the couch...

* * *

_Ten years later..._

Gray sighed, checking his watch. She was ten minutes late... and she was never late, especially not on days like this.

He considered ordering his coffee without her, but he knew that she's be, well, mad when she got there. In that weird way she got mad, since she was almost always incapable of showing anger. When she got angry she grew indignant and her words were crisp and to the point. Gray smiled at the memory.

The door opened and he smiled to see his best friend of ten years enter, looking flushed, as if she's ran all the way there. She spotted him immediately and made her way over, smiling.

"I was just about to order," Gray deadpanned, feigning indignation, "You're late."

Mary pushed at her glasses and gave her best friend an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Gray. I got caught up. You know how Nami gets sometimes."

Gray sighed. Nami, Mary's editor, always enjoyed to talk with Mary at length about every minute detail of one of her works... at the most inappropriate times. "Well, glad you're here..." Gray grumbled.

Mary smiled. "Oh I know you are. It _is_ Sunday, after all. _Our_ day. No writing for me. No dates or anything lecherous for you."

Gray scoffed. "I think you're confusing me with Kai..."

Mary smirked. "I'm not that far off. Last week... it was... Eve? This week is...?"

Gray grimaced. "Karen... And the key difference between Kai and I is that he has a new girlfriend every two days. I, on the other hand, have a schedule..."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, the great schedule."

"It works," Gray deadpanned.

"I'd ask you if you ever intend to settle down, but then again I know the answer," Mary deadpanned back as the waiter came up to the table, "Oh, hi. Let me have a cappuccino and... a...?"

"Strawberry cake," Gray answered for her, "I'll have an espresso and... a...?"

Mary considered for a moment. "Lemon bar."

The waiter smiled. "Right away."

"Lemon bar...?" Gray asked when the waiter was away.

"Oh yes," Mary replied, "You'll like it, I promise."

Gray rolled his eyes, but deep down he knew she was right. Mary was always right when it came to these things. This little game they played, trying to find the perfect desert for the other person, often resulted in Gray finding that the desert Mary ordered for him was better than the one he would've ordered himself.

She knew him that well.

The waiter returned with their coffee and deserts, and Mary smiled and thanked him. "Well?" Mary asked, confident, "Are you going to try it?"

Gray rolled his eyes, picked up his fork and brought a piece to his mouth. It was heaven. At the expression on his face Mary clapped her hands in victory. "Yes! I knew it!" she laughed triumphantly.

Gray grumbled as he swallowed it down with his espresso. "Yeah, well... don't get too full of yourself."

Mary just smiled as she tried her cake.

Yes, Gray thought. The schedule worked. Dating with other women with no commitments and being close with his best friend. That was all he needed.

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_A/N: Yes, yes, yes I **know**. Both Gray and Mary seem disastrously OOC. Still, keep in mind that since Mary and Gray have been best friends for ten years, they are comfortable around each other. Also, Gray is still his grumpy self, as I will show in later chapters, and underneath it all, Mary is that shy librarian ._

_Hope you liked it. Please review!_


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